Recruiting Insider: JUCO point guard visiting Tigers

Junior college point guard Jeff Newberry has a unique history with the University of Memphis basketball program: His best friend, Jelan Kendrick, was dismissed from it.

After stops at a prep school, Ole Miss and two junior colleges, however, Newberry has the Tigers on his shortlist. Two years ago, this would not have been possible.

“I couldn’t see myself there,” Newberry said.

But when Memphis started calling the point guard, and the conversations with assistant coach Robert Kirby got longer and more frequent, the 6-2, 175-pound Georgia native realized he’d made a mistake in dismissing the Tigers — and he’s now set up a visit to campus for the Sept. 13 weekend.

He’s even consulted NBA players, like the 2012 Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard and Memphis native Lou Williams.

“I just came to learn it’s a real respected and basketball-oriented town,” Newberry said Tuesday morning. “The town is nuts about basketball, which any kid would love. Sometimes, certain situations (like with Kendrick) don’t work out. As I looked into it, I found that it’s a real and respected program.

“I made a mistake by overlooking Memphis. I looked into it, the history and the style of play — it might be a good fit.”

He also likes the potential for playing time with four senior guards entering their final season in Memphis.

Newberry will visit LSU this weekend and Oklahoma State on Oct. 18. He’s in contact with Kansas, West Virginia and Rhode Island.

He averaged 14.8 points and 4.3 assists last season at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla. He has since transferred to New Mexico Junior College.

“I’m basically a true point guard and that’s what schools are recruiting me as,” Newberry said. “People say I’m real flashy, but I just think I’m playing my game. I’m not out there trying to embarrass defenders; I just play that way every day.”

Newberry has two years of eligibility remaining and says he plans to sign during the early signing period in November.